Fans Seeing Red Over Tickets, View

Published 8:00 pm, Friday, March 29, 2002

Fans in the upper reaches of the Georgia Dome had no trouble seeing the court Saturday _ but the action on it was another matter.

Uniform numbers were unreadable, but opinions varied on whether the price of the tickets was worth it.

Lou Gallagher of Louisville got his tickets through the NCAA lottery. He paid for them a year ago hoping Kentucky would make it.

"I think the NCAA should be investigated for the prices they charge for seats like this," said Gallagher, who paid $100 apiece for a pair of three-game ticket books.

"I really had no idea they would be this far from the court. It's even hard to see them on the giant monitor."

Tom Higdon of Oklahoma City, whose son won tickets in a radio contest, agreed.

"It's a moneymaking deal," he said. "They sit you up here this far away and then you have to buy binoculars."

Mike Ryan of Hingham, Mass., bought a pair of binoculars for $20 after reaching his seats in the upper deck. He paid $150 each for three-game books for himself and five family members.

"I think the court is in Florida," he quipped. "But it's better to be here than at home watching it in front of the TV."

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SECURITY:@ Everybody entering the Georgia Dome _ even the players _ was screened with metal detectors and subject to inspection, said Dome spokesman John Julian.

"They even checked me with a metal detector," he said.

Fans weren't allowed to bring backpacks, large bags, laser pointers or video cameras, and Julian said pre-Final Four publicity stressed the arena would be open three hours before the first game to allow plenty of time for entry.

"It's very similar to what we did with the Southeastern Conference football championship," he said. "We've done this enough where we have a pretty good system."

"We wanted to get here early anyway, so we breezed right in," he said. "It wasn't a problem at all."

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THE LEARNING CURVE:@ Mike Davis, who's led Indiana to its first championship game since 1987, has only been a head coach for two seasons, but his players have already noticed a difference.

"He's really developed many gray hairs and his stress level is probably on a higher level that it's ever been before," guard Dane Fife said.

Davis was an assistant for Fife's first two seasons, before replacing Bob Knight on an interim basis last season. After winning 21 games and reaching the Big Ten tournament championship last season, the Hoosiers removed the interim tag from Davis title.

The Hoosiers responded this year by winning 25 games so far _ their most since 1992-93 _ and a share of the Big Ten regular-season crown.

How has Davis changed?

"I think he's learned a lot the last couple of years in that he'd never been a head coach before," Fife said. "He understands a little more what it takes to win in a strategical way."

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NO JITTERS:@ Don't tell Kansas point guard Aaron Miles he's only a freshman.

"I don't even look at myself as a freshman," said Miles, the only freshman starter in Saturday's games. "I look at myself as a college basketball player."

Three freshmen played key roles in helping the Jayhawks reach their first Final Four since 1993. They were especially important in the Midwest Regional semifinals against Illinois, when Miles, swingman Keith Langford and forward Wayne Simien combined for 35 points in a 73-69 victory.

The trio played well in the loss to Maryland, too. Miles had 12 points and 10 assists, and Langford and Simien totaled 12 points in spot duty.

"We haven't been to the Final Four or anything, but we've played in pressure situations before," Miles said. "I've played in championship games. I've played in a few big high school games. Wayne has and Keith has, also."

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HE'S NO PSYCHO:@ Some basketball coaches spend the game on the bench, calmly issuing orders with unwavering patience. Then there's Gary Williams, whose gyrations and red-faced rants make it appear he's just a little bit crazy.

"He's a great guy," senior guard Juan Dixon said. "A lot of you people just see what he does on the sidelines, acting crazy. That's just the way he coaches. He's an intense guy. He's a motivator."

Williams' tactics worked Saturday, carrying the Terrapins to their first-ever title game.

The strangest aspect of Williams' behavior are the lectures he gives to the reserve players on the bench. Since he can't yell at the guys on the floor, the subs are the ones who must absorb most of his wrath.

When Byron Mouton was a sophomore, he was watching from the sideline in street clothes when Williams dressed him down.

"I told him, `I can't do nothing. Why are you yelling at me?'" Mouton recalled. "I was mad at first, but the assistant coaches told me not to worry about it, that he needed to relieve some of the pressure."

That was apparent Saturday, when some of the players still in warmups began celebrating a bit early. Williams loudly told them to settle down.

The coach was right, too. Kansas cut a 17-point deficitc to five with about 2 minutes left before eventually losing 97-88.